


To The End

by happydaygirl



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Angst, Lots of Angst, M/M, Major character death - Freeform, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:20:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25279921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happydaygirl/pseuds/happydaygirl
Summary: A simple mission gone wrong. A fate decided. Immortality has its price- for everyone.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 20
Kudos: 196





	To The End

It should have been an easy mission. Rescue the hostages, deliver them to the rendezvous. In and out. Bread and butter. Easy. They had planned all avenues- they knew exactly where to go, where the soldiers would be, where the snipers protecting the dusty complex would be stationed at any given time. In and out. Simple.

They didn't anticipate a last minute move by the sniper team. Didn't expect the sniper to be where he was- as the bullets fired around them as they ran the gauntlet down a long cobbled courtyard, Joe looked back as he recognised the sound of a sniper rifle from somewhere to their left.

He was sure they had got them all; he pulled the hostage closer to his side, face set as he continued running.

He turned as he heard a small grunt of pain from the man to his left; again, apart from the usual glance to see Nicoló go down, pushing his hostage ahead of him as he did so, a spray of pink mist erupting from his chest, Joe wasn't too worried. He would get up any second, would join them again. Seconds later, as Joe and his hostages made it towards the safety of the main building, he heard Nile answer the sniper back in kind; a guttural scream was heard from above somewhere, followed by a dull thud.

'Stay here,' Joe instructed the hostages, as Nile and Andy made their ways towards him, each with a hostage pinioned close to them.

'Nicky?' Andy asked, her face had a slick of blood accompanying the sweat and dust.

Shaking his head, Joe looked back, at his lover's innate form in the open sun in the courtyard. 'Delayed somewhat.' he replied, wiping his face. 'He'll be here in a minute.'

Looking up, they heard the plane that was going to take the hostages and themselves to the rendezvous begin to make its descent. An easy job. In and out. Except...

'He's taking a long time, isn't he?' Nile said in her usual tone as she nodded her head behind her, using her knack for pointing out the obvious in any situation. Usually her words amused Joe, but this time they struck concern into his heart as he saw she was right; Nicoló had not yet risen; he was lying on his back, still clutching his chest. Still moving.

'I'll be right back,' he threw back at Andy as he ran over to his lover, eyes creased with concern. It had now been five years since Merrick, five blissful and action-packed years.

'Hey, sleepyhead, time to go, plane's almost here!' he said lightly, kneeling down next to Nicoló and looking him over; his heart started hammering as he saw he was still bleeding from a large wound to the left side of his chest; blood bubbled up and ran down to the dusty, orange floor between them.

A blood slicked hand curled itself around his wrist; he looked down to see his lover's face was ashen white, save for a few flecks of crimson around his cheeks. 'Still b-bleeding...' he said, voice barely more than a whisper. He groaned out, long and low through his teeth, as Joe, sucking in a shaky breath, drew out a cloth from one of his inner pockets and placed it on the wound, pushing hard.

'It's ok, its just a bad wound, that's all....' he gabbled, teeth chattering with panic as he felt blood seep through the cloth; by the blood slowly soaking through the sand underneath Nicolo he knew it had been a through and through. He tried to ignore the pained moans as he stuffed his fist into the wound, putting on as much pressure as he could through the cloth.

'I'm n-not healing,' his lover's voice was high, laced with panic. 'It's ta-taking too l-long.'

'Stop speaking, you'll be ok, you'll be fine!' Joe said, trying to keep his voice level as he took hold of Nicolo's hand and squeezed it, rubbing comforting circled in the back of his hand. 'Andy!' he called, his voice cracking, before his breath caught in his throat as he saw Nicolo cough; a bubble of blood grew and burst at the side of his mouth.

'No,no...' he muttered, feeling tears erupt in his eyes as he gently thumbed the blood away, before pushing his lover's sweat-laden hair off his face, smoothing it back as he applied more pressure to the wound.

Nile and Andy where at their sides in seconds. 'The blood, its not stopping,' Joe gabbled, motioning the wound with a shaky, crimson hand, 'I'm trying, I'm trying but its not stopping, he's not healing!'

Andy's eyes met Nicky's as she too inspected the wound. He wasn't that old. She had been mortally injured and had survived...

'It's at his heart.' she muttered, pressing lightly in the wound, wincing herself as Nicky blanched and cried out in pain. Maybe he was just old enough...

'So it's just going to take a little more time to heal, right?' Nile said, voice questioning.

'He would have started healing straight away- the shot didn't kill him.'

'But he can just heal from this, like always!' Joe said, shaking his head before he bent low to Nicoló, touching their heads together. 'You just need to heal, then we can go home,' he whispered, using his free hand to cup his lover's cheek; he tried not to tense as he felt the skin was pallid, shaky. He felt tears erupt and cascade down his cheek as Nicoló hitched in a breath taut with agony, followed by a groan.

'Come on, just heal, just heal...' he whispered, as if coaxing him to do it was going to make it happen faster. 'I'll stay here with you, as long as it takes.' he carded his hand through his lover's hair as Nicoló began to shake; he could hear his teeth chattering by his hair.

'No, come on- why won't you heal! Please, baby, please do this, we need to go home,' Joe's eyebrows knitted together with concern as he felt the blood continue to flow over his knuckles.

Andy sat back, tears in her own eyes as he turned to Nile, who also had glassy eyes. 'It might be his time, Joe.' Nile said softly, pushing away a tear with the heel of her hand.

'No!' the word was thrown out across the courtyard like a whirlwind, laced with anger. 'No, it can't be, it can't be...' Joe muttered, tears now coming unfettered, unchecked as he held Nicolo close now, a hand to the back of his head as he sat back, drawing his lover into his lap. 'We have so much to do together!' he said, voice hitching with emotion. 'A millennia together and we still have so much to do...'

He looked down as Nicoló tried to speak; his voice was weaker, almost a whisper; he had to lean in close to hear him. 'R-remember Malta....' he sighed out, letting out a breathy, pained chuckle as Joe wetly laughed, nodding, before he cupped his face once more, fingertips tracing his blood-flecked jawbone.

'Always.' he replied, before shaking his head as Nicoló groaned out again, eyes squeezed shut.

'Is there nothing you can do?' he asked Andy, who was sitting back, painful memories stirring as she wiped away her tears; visions of a friend dying on the battlefield filled her mind. A quick shake of the head crushed his ideas to the dust.

'I can't lose you, I can't, what would I do...' he muttered, pushing away his tears as Nicoló squeezed his forearm again, before he put a hand to his own cheek, his eyes glassy as he drew his lover in closer; their lips met softly, the taste of blood and sweat erupting as Joe deepened the kiss, knowing that this would probably be the last time he could show his love.

'Don't leave me here,' Joe whispered as they parted, their faces inches from each other. 'Not now.'

'My darling... we thought we h-had eternity...' Nicoló breathed out, blood bubbling again at his mouth as he gave his lover a smile. 'I-I am so ha-happy I was able to spend all these y-years with you.'

Swallowing hard, Joe drew Nicoló closer to his chest, squeezing his eyes shut as he felt his lover shuddering in pain as they embraced. As he gently set him back down on the floor he pushed a line of dust from his eyes, before his heart dropped as Nicoló looked upwards towards the heavens, teeth chattering again. Eyes flicking back across to Joe, their eyes were locked only on each other before Nicolo's eyes remained still seconds later, unseeing, still boring into Joe's.

Letting out the pained yell of pain he had been holding in, Joe felt his world fall around his shoulders as he leaned forwards and gently pressed his eyes closed. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't speak. _This couldn't be happening_. He didn't even register Andy coming closer, her warm hand enveloping his.

'He's gone,' he heard her intone gently, her fingers squeezing lightly. 'I'm so sorry.'

'No, no, no....' he gabbled, unable to enunciate any further. 'No he's not. He can't be...' he sat backwards, shaking his head, as Andy drew in a deep breath. They both looked up as they heard the plane land just beyond the complex.

'We need to get the hostages out.' She said gently, looking over to Joe, who was staring down at Nicky, tears falling down his cheeks. 'Joe?'

'I'm not leaving him here.' his voice was clipped, thick with emotion.

'Of course not. We take him with us.' Andy nodded, voice wavering as she cleared her throat.

A couple of weighted minutes passed as Nile went and dealt with the hostages, getting them ready for the flight. Joe sat, numb, as the world continued to operate around him.

It seemed like eternity had passed before he tensed as Andy put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing comfortingly. 'Its time to leave'. She said, voice gentle.

Nodding mutely, Joe made no effort to move; maybe if he stayed looking at him long enough, Nicoló would awaken, miraculously healed. A fluke. A miracle. He couldn't be gone.

'Please, Joe.' Andy murmured above him. 'I need your help.'

Joe looked up at her with glassy eyes, bereft now of all emotion. He felt like he had been cast out to sea, alone in the vast expanse of nothingness, as far as the eye could see.

Standing up on shaky legs, he tried- and failed- to swallow down his emotion as he left his partner's side. It felt like betrayal,leaving him there as he numbly went to help with the hostages, the ones they had managed to save.

Soon they were ready to leave- Andy clasped his hand as they went to collect Nicky. Stooping low on his haunches, Joe let out a sob as he pushed away the dust that had accumulated on his face. 'We had so much to do together.' he said, voice low as he straightened Nicolo's jacket, as if that made any sort of difference now. 'So much to experience, to taste, to touch...' his voice wavered until he found he couldn't speak any more, couldn't find the words.

'Come on.' Andy said quietly, squatting down too. 'Let's get him on board.'

Together they managed to pick him up; Joe cradled his head as Andy took his legs- his head lolled against his shoulder, breaking Joe's heart as he tried to be as gentle as he could.

Placing him down on the plane Joe sat beside him, Nicolo's head on his lap, fingertips circling his skin as the plane began its ascent. 'I won't leave you,' he promised, voice overshadowed by the hum of the aircraft. Sitting back, he closed his eyes as his soul felt like it was erupting into a million tiny pieces. How was he going to live, to go on, now his partner was gone? He didn't know, but he knew his life would never be the same again.

**Author's Note:**

> So I watched the film for the first time last night and immediately got obsessed, as I usually do.... I didn't know whether to post this, as I don't really do angst for the sake of it, but the idea bugged me all night so I had to get it written.
> 
> I suppose the only good thing to come out of posting angst first is that I can only go more positive from here if I write any more! :D
> 
> Hopefully the characterisation is ok- as I said I only watched it last night ^^ Let me know if its not.
> 
> Please let me know your thoughts!


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